Australian nationalism, for better and for worse, is inseparable from our love of sport.

The Tests, the Cup, the Open, the Grand Final – these events structure our year as much as the big religious festivals. Questions about Bradman turn up in citizenship exams. We’ve spent more on the Olympics than on the National Broadband Network. In this country, sports mean something.

From the top right down to the grassroots, we use sports to express our values. Those values have to come from all of us and speak to all of us. They have to change with the times.

We need to factor in 21st Century views of gender equality and cultural inclusion. We need to guard against old-fashioned myths and prejudices. We need to continually innovate to survive.

This conference will illuminate how sports are changing, how sports clubs are innovating, and how sports administrators, players, observers and volunteers can help shape the outcomes.

Key takeaways:

• In the digital age, how do you recruit and retain your volunteers?

• In a spectator-led age, how do you develop systems to engage members?

• What has to change before under-represented groups – women, people with disabilities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, gay and lesbian people and Indigenous Australians – see your club as relevant to their lives?

• What partnerships are becoming possible with emerging stakeholders?

• Marketing: not just a good idea, it’s the game.

• Learn from the professionals how to innovate – it’ll push you ahead of the pack.

Why should I attend?

The 2013 Sports Without Borders Conference brings together the complete picture – sportspeople, club officials, volunteers, policymakers, government funders, government and local government workers, peak bodies, sports administrators and sports media.

If you’re from any of these groups, this conference is about you.

Learn the facts, hear the stories, and find out about best practice sports solutions. Your club, and your community, depend on it.